How to Transform Your Garage into a Great Workspace

Not everyone’s house has a garage next to it, so you can consider yourself lucky if yours has even just a small garage for your compact car, bike or motorcycle.

You might know a wealthy neighbor with a Hummer stored in a garage bigger than yours or a couple from just around the block with a two-door garage.

No matter what size your garage is, there will always be some extra space in it that you can turn into a workspace where you can do more than just park and store.

Essential Items for Your Garage Workspace

Whether you’re a professional garage remodeler or just a homeowner looking to transform your garage by yourself, these are some necessary items you will need to get the most out of your new workspace.

Workbench

If there is an essential item on this list that you should buy or build first, it is the workbench as it forms the very foundation of the area in your garage that you’ll be converting into a workspace you could use.

Your workbench should be sturdy enough to withstand repeated pounding and not easily dented.

You can make a standalone workbench by recycling an old door and attaching some legs to it.

If the extra space in your garage is a bit too small for a standalone workbench, you can build a fold-down workbench that you can mount on your garage wall for secure storage and access.

Fluorescent lights

You wouldn’t want to do your work in a dim, accident-prone workspace, which is why you have to install some fluorescent lights in your garage.

For overall room illumination and to add height to your garage, you can install fluorescent light fixtures by mounting them in the ceiling.

You can also buy a work lamp if the project you’re working on needs bright, focused lighting.

If you’re not comfortable installing those fluorescent lights yourself, you can ask the help of an electrician.

Tool storage

Keeping all your hand and power tools all in one place lessens the chances of you losing any one of the tools you need for a project.

If you prefer a separate storage for all your tools, buying a ball-bearing tool chest is the way to go.

For your other tools that require quick access, you can use a slat wall storage system where you can hang them all.

Heating and air ventilation system

Most garages aren’t adequately insulated nor ventilated, which is why you would need a heating and air ventilation system to make working in your garage workspace a comfortable experience that you would never want to leave there.

To keep you warm during cold weather, you can set up some space heaters in your garage workspace.

On the other hand, you can use air conditioning to help circulate air as the temperature rises.

Power strips

Your garage workspace surely doesn’t have enough power outlets to plug in all the tools, lights, and electronics you will need for your project. Buying a power strip solves this problem for you.

The more outlets your power strip has and the longer the cord, the better.

Using a power strip is a more economical alternative to installing additional power outlets.

From a Cluttered Garage to the Perfect Workspace

Once you have all the essential items ready at your disposal, you can start turning your cluttered garage into a fully functional workspace right away. Here’s how you can do it.

Get rid of all items in your garage that you don’t need.

Most homeowners store their old junk in their garage. However, you would want your workspace as clutter-free and presentable as possible, so you would have to clear the extra area in your garage of everything that isn’t useful.

You can hold a garage sale and earn some money you could use for renovation expenses.

You can also send some of your old junk to the nearest pawnshop if there are any items of considerable value, or to charities as a donation.

Otherwise, dispose of all useless items properly.

Paint your garage floor with an epoxy coating.

Having a concrete garage floor is fine, but removing oil spills and paint drips on it can leave stains on it over time. You can make your garage floor clean and smooth by applying an epoxy coating over it.

Aside from making it easier to clean, an epoxy-coated garage floor also provides excellent traction that would prevent you from slipping.

An epoxy-coated garage floor maintains its glossy finish for years.

Invest in a tool collection.

Doing weekend work in your garage workspace brings out the handyman in you. But if you are only starting out, you might want to save up for a tool collection everyone with a garage should have. You as a beginner handyman should invest in the following tools:

Drill for mounting cabinets and furniture

Miter saw for making accurate crosscuts

Table saw for woodworking

Bench vise for holding your projects in place

Put some entertainment into your garage workspace.

Working in a quiet garage can get very tedious at times, which is why you would want to consider adding entertainment options in your garage workspace when you want to take a break from your project or even host a party there.

As a full tabletop stereo system or desktop computer could eat up a considerable amount of space, you might want to build a portable entertainment setup instead using a decent pair of small, wall-mounted speakers and an MP3 player.

You can also mount a flat-screen TV to any wall if you want to watch or even surf the Internet.

Renovating a garage mostly takes months to complete, but with the right tools, careful planning, and these easy to follow steps, you can transform your messy garage into an inviting workspace where you can do anything you want in an area just beside your house. You can use your new garage workspace to set up a home office, make room for your weekend hobbies, practice with your bandmates, or even entertain guests for a round of barbecue. Just remember to leave some wiggle room for any additional garage workspace ideas you might want to pull off anytime soon.

Mike Andrews

Mike is a building expert who has specialized in garage construction for the past 30 years. He currently writes for My Door Pro about garage doors and more, and is dedicated to building and constructing garages for clients to the best possible standard. In his spare time, he enjoys have a coffee at the local cafe.

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